Propuesta de una metodología estándar para la caracterización de la organogelificación de aceites comestibles con ceras

Saturated and trans fatty acids play a significant role in the plastic properties of food. However, health recommendations suggest limiting their intake. One approach which got the attention of researchers was to decrease the amount of saturated and trans fatty acids in food by the structuring of edible oils through the crystallization of waxes. The underlying mechanisms that lead to organogelation and the properties that characterize well-structured edible oil have been slow to fully understand due in part to a lack of standardiza­tion in their analysis which often makes the comparison between research results from different laboratories difficult. The aim of this work was to review previously reported methods for the characterization of organo­gelation using vegetable and animal waxes, and to propose a minimal standardization for an organogelation analysis.Los ácidos grasos saturados y trans juegan un rol significativo en las propiedades plásticas de los alimentos. Sin embargo, las recomendaciones de salud sugieren limitar su consumo. Un enfoque que han propuesto investigadores científicos es la disminución en la cantidad de grasas trans y saturadas en la alimenta­ción por medio de la estructuración de aceites comestibles a partir de la cristalización de ceras. Los mecanismos por los cuales la organogelificación ocurre, así como las propiedades que caracterizan una buena estructuración del aceite, han sido descubiertos lentamente debido en parte a la falta de estandarización de los análisis impli­cados, lo que frecuentemente vuelve difícil la comparación entre resultados de investigación de distintos labo­ratorios. El objetivo de este trabajo es realizar una revisión de los principales métodos para la caracterización de la organogelificación y de los organogeles formados usando ceras vegetales y animales, proponiendo una estandarización mínima del análisis de organogelificación

Geometrical Evidence for Dark Matter: X-ray Constraints on the Mass of the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 720

(shortened for babbage) We describe (1) a new test for dark matter and alternate theories of gravitation based on the relative geometries of the X-ray and optical surface brightness distributions and an assumed form for the potential of the optical light, (2) a technique to measure the shapes of the total gravitating matter and dark matter of an ellipsoidal system which is insensitive to the precise value of the temperature of the gas and to modest temperature gradients, and (3) a method to determine the ratio of dark mass to stellar mass that is dependent on the functional forms for the visible star, gas and dark matter distributions, but independent of the distance to the galaxy or the gas temperature. We apply these techniques to X-ray data from the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) of the optically-flattened elliptical galaxy NGC 720. The X-ray isophotes are significantly elongated, $\epsilon = 0.20 - 0.30$ (90% confidence) for semi-major axis a\sim 100\arcsec. The major axes of the optical and X-ray isophotes are misaligned by $\sim 30\deg \pm 15\deg$ (90% confidence). We conclude that matter distributed like the optical light cannot produce the observed ellipticities of the X-ray isophotes independent of the gas pressure, the gas temperature, and the value of the stellar mass.Comment: 63 pages, PostScrip

Ionization Structure and the Reverse Shock in E0102-72

The young oxygen-rich supernova remnant E0102-72 in the Small Magellanic Cloud has been observed with the High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer of Chandra. The high resolution X-ray spectrum reveals images of the remnant in the light of individual emission lines of oxygen, neon, magnesium and silicon. The peak emission region for hydrogen-like ions lies at larger radial distance from the SNR center than the corresponding helium-like ions, suggesting passage of the ejecta through the "reverse shock". We examine models which test this interpretation, and we discuss the implications.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures; To appear in "Young Supernova Remnants" (11th Annual Astrophysics Conference in Maryland), S. S. Holt & U. Hwang (eds), AIP, New York (2001

A Census of X-ray gas in NGC 1068: Results from 450ks of Chandra HETG Observation

We present models for the X-ray spectrum of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068. These are fitted to data obtained using the High Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) on the Chandra X-ray observatory. The data show line and radiative recombination continuum (RRC) emission from a broad range of ions and elements. The models explore the importance of excitation processes for these lines including photoionization followed by recombination, radiative excitation by absorption of continuum radiation and inner shell fluorescence. The models show that the relative importance of these processes depends on the conditions in the emitting gas, and that no single emitting component can fit the entire spectrum. In particular, the relative importance of radiative excitation and photoionization/recombination differs according to the element and ion stage emitting the line. This in turn implies a diversity of values for the ionization parameter of the various components of gas responsible for the emission, ranging from log(xi)=1 -- 3. Using this, we obtain an estimate for the total amount of gas responsible for the observed emission. The mass flux through the region included in the HETG extraction region is approximately 0.3 Msun/yr assuming ordered flow at the speed characterizing the line widths. This can be compared with what is known about this object from other techniques.Comment: 39 pages, 12 figures, Ap. J. in pres

HST-FOS Observations of M87: Ly-a Emission from the Active Galactic Nucleus

The Faint Object Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope was used to obtain spectra of the central region of M87. These spectra cover the wavelength range 1140 - 1606 Angstrom and have a resolution of about 1 Angstrom. The nuclear continuum is clearly visible in the spectra. The only strong line that is observed is Ly-alpha, which has a velocity width of about 3000 km/sec. There is also a marginal detection of C IV 1549. The ratio of Ly-alpha to C IV in the nuclear spectrum is at least a factor of 2 higher than in a spectrum taken at a position on the disk about 0.6" away from the nucleus by Dopita et al. This enhancement of Ly-alpha at the nucleus could point to significant differences in the properties of the emitting gas and/or the excitation mechanism between the outer and inner disk regions. The strength of the observed Ly-alpha places limits on the properties of the absorbing gas present within M87. For instance, if the hydrogen column at the systemic velocity of M87 is greater than about 10^18 cm^{-2} then it can cover only a small fraction of the line emitting region. Spectra separated by 5 days show a 60% difference in the Ly-alpha flux, but the same continuum level. This could be due to either a displacement between the aperture positions for the two sets of observations, or it could be due to intrinsic variability of the source. The current observations do not strongly favor either of these alternatives. The observations do show, however, that the Ly-alpha line is a useful tracer of kinematics in the M87 nucleus.Comment: 14 pages + 5 figures. LaTeX uses aaspp4.sty. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Theory and modeling of the magnetic field measurement in LISA PathFinder

The magnetic diagnostics subsystem of the LISA Technology Package (LTP) on board the LISA PathFinder (LPF) spacecraft includes a set of four tri-axial fluxgate magnetometers, intended to measure with high precision the magnetic field at their respective positions. However, their readouts do not provide a direct measurement of the magnetic field at the positions of the test masses, and hence an interpolation method must be designed and implemented to obtain the values of the magnetic field at these positions. However, such interpolation process faces serious difficulties. Indeed, the size of the interpolation region is excessive for a linear interpolation to be reliable while, on the other hand, the number of magnetometer channels does not provide sufficient data to go beyond the linear approximation. We describe an alternative method to address this issue, by means of neural network algorithms. The key point in this approach is the ability of neural networks to learn from suitable training data representing the behavior of the magnetic field. Despite the relatively large distance between the test masses and the magnetometers, and the insufficient number of data channels, we find that our artificial neural network algorithm is able to reduce the estimation errors of the field and gradient down to levels below 10%, a quite satisfactory result. Learning efficiency can be best improved by making use of data obtained in on-ground measurements prior to mission launch in all relevant satellite locations and in real operation conditions. Reliable information on that appears to be essential for a meaningful assessment of magnetic noise in the LTP.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Physical Review

Spectral Line Imaging Observations of 1E0102.2-7219

E0102-72 is the second brightest X-ray source in the Small Magellanic Cloud and the brightest supernova remnant in the SMC. We observed this SNR for ~140 ksec with the High Energy Transmission Gratings (HETG) aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The small angular size and high surface brightness make this an excellent target for HETG and we resolve the remnant into individual lines. We observe fluxes from several lines which include O VIII Ly$\alpha$, Ly$\beta$, and O VII along with several lines from Ne X, Ne IX and Mg XII. These line ratios provide powerful constraints on the electron temperature and the ionization age of the remnant.Comment: To appear in "Young Supernova Remnants" (11th Annual Astrophysics Conference in Maryland), S. S. Holt & U. Hwang (eds), AIP, New York (2001

The Kinematic and Plasma Properties of X-ray Knots in Cassiopeia A from the Chandra HETGS

We present high-resolution X-ray spectra from the young supernova remnant Cas A using a 70-ks observation taken by the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETGS). Line emission, dominated by Si and S ions, is used for high-resolution spectral analysis of many bright, narrow regions of Cas A to examine their kinematics and plasma state. These data allow a 3D reconstruction using the unprecedented X-ray kinematic results: we derive unambiguous Doppler shifts for these selected regions, with values ranging between -2500 and +4000 km/s. Plasma diagnostics of these regions, derived from line ratios of resolved He-like triplet lines and H-like lines of Si, indicate temperatures largely around 1 keV, which we model as O-rich reverse-shocked ejecta. The ionization age also does not vary considerably over these regions of the remnant. The gratings analysis was complemented by the non-dispersed spectra from the same dataset, which provided information on emission measure and elemental abundances for the selected Cas A regions. The derived electron density of X-ray emitting ejecta varies from 20 to 200 cm^{-3}. The measured abundances of Mg, Si, S and Ca are consistent with O being the dominant element in the Cas A plasma. With a diameter of 5 arcmin, Cas A is the largest source observed with the HETGS to date. We, therefore, describe the technique we use and some of the challenges we face in the HETGS data reduction from such an extended, complex object.Comment: 26 pages, 16 figures, evised version (minor changes), accepted for publication in ApJ (Oct 20 2006